Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Badminton Racket Review: Karakal BN-60

I've previously stated that this is one good racket, and the surprises just keep getting better. No way would I have guessed that such a light racket can deliver such power. In fact, that's the exact concern that I had before buying the racket.

Weighing in at an estimated 60g before stringing, the Karakal BN-60 has got to be the lightest racket I've ever laid my hands on.

The design is simple, underrated, and lends a sense of mystery to the latent potential that the BN-60 can bring to one's game.

Note. This review is my opinion of the racket from using it in my games. Take this with a pinch of salt since we all play the game differently. I'm here to tell you, in as much accuracy as I can, how my games went with the racket. Comments welcome!

Defense
Being super light, the Karakal BN-60 is naturally a naturally defensive racket at first try. The swings with the racket are super fast, lending a sharp swish sound to every swing.

The racket allows you to inject a lot of pace into your shots, imparting the full flow of your movement and wrist flicks into the shuttle at the very last minute without too much of the racket's weight slowing you down. I've found myself deep in defense, forced into a long stretch but still able to push off the shuttle with a backhand flick to the end of the court.

With such a quick reaction, taking the opponents on with counter-attacking drives is no problem. It's your reaction against his smashing stamina. With the lift to the back court coming so easily, toying the opponent around the two sides of the court is a breeze.

One thing I've noticed throughout the experience is that the BN-60 doesn't impart a lot of power on the drops and net blocks. I've been unable to use the weight of the racket to perform a nice net block when I needed it. It's either too high or I hit the net.

Attack
With the help of the head-heavy orientation, the Karakal BN-60 is able to pull off quite a mean attacking string. The first attack may not be the killer, but the subsequent follow-ups will have no lack of power since the racket is so light to yield.

Being so light also means that the wrist smashes can come down a lot faster, contributing to a very nice angle when you need the element of surprise.

Drives can be a problem though, without much weight in the overall racket to punch through. Although taking the return and putting it at another angle is totally in the equation. But I'd rather not factor in countering my opponent's return drive as an offensive strategy.

I think the racket shines when playing doubles. The BN-60 is the perfect weapon you'd want to have when covering the front court, being able to raise and drop without any difficult. This really adds up the threat level, especially if you've got a nice smasher taking the back court.

The Karakal BN-60 might also be a draw for the more creative players, what with the weight not being that much a consideration when performing last minute racket head movements or the occasional double movements. With head heaviness will ensure that you get enough depth when you're trying to force the opponent the wrong way, even if you're taking it later.

Control
Being able to hit all four corners of the court with ease gave me a very good feel about the BN-60. There was a level of comfort in my strokes, even when the occasional forced movement calls for a lesser-hit.

Be it coming down or going up, the Karakal BN-60 is able to meet most of my expectations. Although there might be a little problem with the net play...

Much like in defense, I've been unable to completely grasp the tight net shot with the BN-60. It's either too high or it hits the net, and I've even dropped the racket in frustration mid-game because of that.

I saw this problem in the Karakal SL-70. There was the pure lack of kinetic energy that I'm used to feeling from the heavier rackets.

Looks
I'll nickname it the Black Widow. The BN-60's black frame is sprinkled with red accents, lot allowing the paint to add any more weight to the frame. The usual silicone grip at the cone has been substituted with what seems to be a cheap sandpaper-like material, also red. The red strings complete the look - a lethal weapon that's small and light.

hey arthur there are alot of people that says using light rackets will hurt your shoulders more then heavier once.im thinking of getting this rackets and was wandering if this is true, im still trying lots of rackets to see which one suits me well the most.i tried acr 11 10, z slahs voltric 80 zforce, lining n36 n30 n33 n80 n80 n90-2. and was thinking of using a light racket this time.

I have playing the game for over 20 years and I find that once you are able to get your technique as close to text book as possible that actually these lighter rackets do start to hurt your shoulder. I have read about a number of players experiencing similar scenario's.

I've had one of this for more than 8 months but afraid to play regularly with this after a giving it couple of days when I bought it... it was too light and my fear was that if I get used to it I won't be able to get back to my Voltrics.Anyhow, since the strings on both my Voltrics (Z-force and 80 LTD) gone, and was little bit held up at work that didn't allow me to spend time on stringing, I was left with no choice but to play with this.It definitely outperformed the Voltrics in the high speed games except for smashing and back court clears... strangely I started getting the pain in shoulder which I never experienced with the Voltrics. Probably I was trying too hard to match up to the smashes with the Voltrics. . But certainly the pain was because of the racquet because when I started playing back with the Voltric 80 again, the pain slowly receded. I'm back on Voltric again but the pleasure of seeing your opponents dumb struck when you return all their smashes and redirect them to attack is definitely worth the pain and will make me use it more often than before. . Just thought of sharing my views with you. .Thanks

I am a county level player at 14 years old. I am getting this racket very soon I think. I play a wide variety of shots and often like to keep my opponents on the run. My main concern is the racket bieng too light and lacking any real repulsion.Advice?

Hey there. I think the racket will be a little too light for you, seeing how you're probably going to grow even faster and stronger in time to come.

Unless you're very used to very fast speeds and taking the game to a fast-paced flat battle, I'd recommend something you can conserve energy with. Otherwise the lower repulsion from the 60g racket might end up draining your strength in the long run.

I like attacking with speed in doubles games which is why I chose this racket, if I were to string with something of high repulsion like bg66 um or nanogy 98 would it compensate for the lightness, thanks for your advice I really appreciate it

Also how does the racket feel when performing clears and other overhead shots from the back of the court, I read on karakals website that the head speed constitutes towards more power and it can also be strung to quite a high tension. Once again your advice is much appreciated

Thank you once again I don't really try to attack from the back anyway apart from the odd tight drop shot and I only really smash from mid court anyway. I would use this racket for doubles to get on the attack with speed as it is my main game. As long as I'll be able to pull off a decent clear and drop with this racket I'll be fine.☺👍✌

Got the racket today... Loving the weight of it,fits my play style perfectly. The power generated by the head speed is incredible and I love the addition of a thumb print. On the racket it says string tension 16-30 but on the manufacturer website it says 28 max recommend , whats this about??

I'm a 14 year old guy. I use my sister's yonex ti10 and now I want my own personal racket, would this be good for me? I started playing weekly sessions with my friends who are mostly, from what I consider advanced beginners. I mostly play doubles with focus on the back court but would consider singles. And I like to play defense. Would this suit me just fine or should I consider something heavier or even the bn 65? And also if this has any relevance I'm 6 feet and 102 kilos (~212 pounds)

Unfortunately, my racket choices are limited since there are only a few stores that sell that kinds of rackets and those stores have like only 3-4 types of rackets available. As for the experience of playing with the Ti-10, it's underwhelming because there is more weight on the grip rather than the head and everytime I want to smash there's not enough power for me;not sure if it's my technique or the racket. I also have my eyes on the Black knight 35X (can't seem to find reviews for it since it isn't very popular in the philippines), Babolat X-act 85, Babolat N-tense blast and this one. So do you recommend this to me as I consider myself like an advanced beginner or should I look for something else?

Thank you for the reply, The vfz2ld is not readily available and is way out of my budget but I have a slight change of heart, just a few hours ago I played the ti10 again and realized that I had already good power especially in smashing but still it isn't enough for me. Now I want a balanced racket and I think the Yonex voltric 2 Lin dan edition would suit me just fine since it has the same range of tension like the ti10 3U (19-24) pounds which is more than enough for me. I have no plans to go above than 24 pounds since I'm just starting to develop my technique. I tried my friend's Babolat satellite 6.5 stringed at 28 pounds and I have to say, that was intense so I think I'll just go with the Yonex voltric 2 Lin Dan edition. Once again I would like to thank you for your feedback.

Compared to the Ti10, you're looking at a stiffer shaft, smaller head frame and heavier weight distribution to the head. Over higher power and control, but potentially slower defense and movement around the court.

Thanks again and btw the model I bought is the voltric 2 LD edition. This is still in the same lineup as the ZF2 LD but a different model and correction it's head heavy. It feels a lot different than the ti10 since it's head heavy but my smashes have gained more power but at the expense of control loss. Thanks again for your inputs, I'm satisfied with my racket now but still getting used to it.

Hey Arthur, not sure if you'll see this, but I currently play with a Yonex Muscle Power 22 which is a great even-balanced flexible racket,but what I'm wondering is When I string this with a BG66 ultimax will it compensate the power? Is it only for doubles? And how are the drop shots? Thanks!

Hey there, I've never used the Muscle Power 22 so I can't answer most of your questions.

Generally BG66UM is a high repulsion string. Most players whom I know like to be offensive tend to gravitate to the string.

All rackets are suitable for doubles, as long as the player who uses it uses it well. Drop shots are a technical feat, and require practice with the same racket to obtain a certain level of proficiency.

i seriously agree with @arthur wong's review for this bn-60 racquet. you said it all except for the durability. I am sorry but i must say this one doesnt last long as much as you wanted. make sure you have few extra because this bn-60 is kinda poor on its durability. i tried to check all the reviews for this racquet right before i purchase one two weeks ago but ohhh boy! the frame crashed yesterday after doing some warm-up. i only had less than 15 mins of warm-up and was surprised that the frame crashed/deformed/broken considering that i havent crashed it with someone else's racquet. only used 2-3x for the last two weeks for ONLY 3-4 games of queueing. can you imagine that? i havent used it much because i have several extra that i use depends upon the opponent. the tension i had was the standard number which is 26. I am disappointed because reading all the reviews few weeks ago for this product have really met my standard not until last night. This product is good but durability is POOR! veryyyyy poor!!! i had sure lost of penny!